Stories of courage, hope and compassion by Richard Deats
“This book of twenty stories was written to encourage the reader of life’s inward and outward journeys. They are meant to encourage you as you grapple with the mystery, challenge, and call of the divinity that is in everyone.”
So writes the Rev. Richard Deats in the introduction to his new book, Stories of Hope, Courage & Compassion ($9.95, paperback, 102 pages). Deats, who worked at the Fellowship of Reconciliation for more than 30 years — including serving as its Executive Secretary — has led workshops on active nonviolence in more than a dozen countries. We are proud to offer his new book at the FOR online bookstore.
“These are stories of persons who overcome adversity with nonviolent resilience and strength. We learn of others in wartime and conflict seeking to make peace with the enemy. People find a way out of no way and the impossible is found to be possible,” he writes. These true stories profile places like Mississippi and the World Trade Center, a South African prison and a Nazi concentration camp, the Berlin Wall and a nonviolent Muslim army with Gandhi in India.
One of the first stories you’ll read in Stories of Hope, Courage & Compassion is about Lisel Lowen and Lida Verdesi, who volunteered at FOR’s headquarters in Nyack, New York.
Lisel grew up in Germany as an Olympic swimmer in the 1930s. When Jews were banned from Germany’s Olympic team, Lisel fled to the United States. Lida was a librarian in the Hudson Valley until an illness forced her to retire. Despite her mobility issues, Lida’s hands remained “phone and computer friendly” on behalf of peace and justice.
Lisel and Lida went together on an FOR friendship delegation to the Soviet Union, one of the first such efforts in the 1980s. As Richard writes, “that was characteristic of them — launching into the unknown, taking what was then a risky adventure, and putting their bodies on the line to make this a better, more peaceful world.”
Richard Deats new book, Stories of Hope, Courage & Compassion makes an excellent addition to any peace library, and will inspire you, your friends, and neighbors to “launch into the unknown” on behalf of peace and justice.
Also available by Richard Deats:
Active Nonviolence Across the World: Examples of how nonviolence has been practiced all over the world. $3.00
Martin Luther King, Jr.: Spirit-led Prophet: A biography of King that emphasizes the nonviolent faith which led him to become a world prophet. King’s influence continues to grow beyond his death with his vision of nonviolent liberation and the final reconciliation God is calling us to spread around the world. $13.95
Mahatma Gandhi: Nonviolent Liberator: A biography focusing on Gandhi’s faith-rooted work in active nonviolence. “It is my hope that this biography will help introduce the life and message of Gandhi to a new generation of persons searching for a genuine alternative to war and injustice,” writes Richard Deats. $12.95
Marked For Life: The Story of Hildegard Goss-Mayr: A biography of the honorary president of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation and longtime Christian nonviolent activist. $13.95
Ambassador of Reconciliation: A Muriel Lester Reader: An edited collection of the writings of the Baptist pacifist, colleague of Mahatma Gandhi, and Traveling Secretary of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation. $14.95
Can you purchase Stories of Hope, Courage & Compassion and these other books on Amazon? Of course! But at the FOR online bookstore, we have it at the same price, and all of its proceeds will go to FOR and Rev. Deats. Thanks for your support!
